Friday, February 3, 2012

The “D” Word

Some might call it “D”etermination. I think I call it “D”umb. Whatever it is, I was back for some more “D” this week. Being shutout the last time I tried to run in Buck Gully, I decided to try a different approach. The goal was to run the “green” trail down into Buck Gully. I would be entering from the top of the canyon and going as far as I could. I was pretty sure this was doable, since I had done it before.

I started out at the top of the hill off San Joaquin Hills Road in Newport Coast. For locals, the park is called Canyon Watch Park:

I ran about half a mile to the East. Just past this sign:

Is the entrance to Upper Buck Gully. If you’re driving on San Joaquin Hills Road at 60 mph, it’s easy to miss:

Damn! What’s that sign doing there?

The rest of the is journey is imaginary - the way the trail *will* look once trail maintenance is complete.

The trail down into Buck Gully is really more like an access road, and from the looks of it, is, errrrrr, will be regularly travelled:

The upper reaches of the canyon, errrr, will offer some escape from the million dollar ridge top homes:

The lower canyon will be a world apart from the hustle and bustle of the resort up above:

Bridges will be placed at stream crossings to keep you from having to get your feet wet:

Just don’t touch the water! Who knows what type of chemicals and fertilizers are filtering down from the golf course above.

Ah, now I get the title of the post. That *other* D word after finding the trails still closed to humans. From the aerial map and archived photos, it looks like a nice natural oasis in Newport Beach. Lucky you.